Fastening-insebting mechanism



June 18, 1929. E. R. POPE 1,717,402

FASTENNG INSERTING MECHANI SM Filed Oct. 25. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l E. R; PoPE 1,717,402

FASTENING INSERTING MECHANI SM June 18, 1929.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25. 1924 /m/EN T0@- Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER R. POPE, OF HAMILTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MA- CHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW' JERSEY.

FASTENING-INSERTING MECHANISM.

Application led October 25, 1924. Serial No. 745,893.

much larger' and stouter, for example, than the lasting tacks commonly inserted in the manufacture of shoes by means of hand taclrers. The illustrated nail-inserting device may be used, for exam-ple, to drive nails used for attaching rubber heels to shoes.

A. feature of the invention consists in a novel arrangement by which fastcnings of a plurality of different lengths may be inserted by the device alternatively in accordance with the wishes of the operative. The illustrated fastening-inserting device may carry r fastenings of two different lengths and by means of simple controlling mechanism the operative may at will cause the fastenings inserted to be drawn from those of one length or of the other. A further feature of the invention comprises means for controlling the passage of fastenings into the path of movement of a driver of the inserting device, operated by pressure of the device against the work. In the illustrated device, the fastening is released before the start of the downward movement of the driver and each fastening has ample time to move into position in front of the ldriver before the driver starts its 'downward movement.

The novel mechanism illustrated herein for supplying fastenings to the fastening-inserting device and for positioning the fasteningin-serting device relatively to the fasteningsupplying means is not claimed in this application since it forms the subject-matter of my co-pending application Serial No. 282,033, filed May 31, 1928, as a division of the present application.

lith the above and other features and objects in view, the invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, l

Fig. l is transverse section oft a fasteninginserting device embodyingr a number of features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same device;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the lower portion of the device of Fig. 1 showing the parts in the position which they assume when the device has been applied to a rubber heel having the conventional conical cavity surrounding each nail hole;

F ig. 4 is a transverse section of the extreme lower portion of a modified form of the device adapted to insert fastenings in work having a surface not provided with conical openings such as the opening shown in Fig. 3;

F ig. 5 is a transverse section illustrating the position of the parts when the device, modified as in Fig. 4, is applied to a piece of work having a plane surface; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are a side elevation and a front elevation, respectively, each with certain parts in section, showing means for supplying fastenings to the fastening-inserting device and means for holding and positioning the fastening-inserting device for the reception of fastenings from the supply means.

The illustrated fastening-inserting device comprises ay body portion 10 bored at 12 to receive a plunger 14 carrying a driver 15 and at 16 and 18 to receive a pair of fasteningcontaining tubes 2O each flared at its fastening-receiving end "22, the two tubes communicating at their outlet with a nozzle 24. A sheet metal shell 26 houses the working parts of the device. Slidably mounted in shell 26 is a gate 28 provided with an opening 30 aranged by virtue of the sliding mounting of the gate to bc moved manually into alincment with the fastenings in either one of the tubes 20, the gate itself at the same time cutting off the supply of fastenings from the other tube.

A pair of separators 34 control the passage of the fastenings from tubes through the opening of gate 28. Eachseparator is pivoted at 36 to a projection rising from shell 26' and is formed with two fastening-engaging surfaces, one above and one below pivot 36, so constructed and arranged that as the `separator is rocked on pivot 36 to release a fastening previously held by its lower fastening-engaging surface, its upper fasteningengaging surface is rocked into engagement with the next fastening and prevents its escape. On the other hand, when the separami: recite-i in, the oppasm direi-tiert the an@ per fastening is released and drops down until it is retained by the lower' fastening-engaging surface of the separator.

In order to operate the separators inthe manner just described, each separator is connected by a link 38 with a ring 40 surrounding nozzle 24, links 38 passing through suitable openings in gate 28. A spring 42 tends to force ring 4() toward the outer end of the nozzle, movement of the ring in this direction, however, being limited, because of the connections between the'ring and the separators, by the engagement of the lower fasteningengaging surfaces of the separators with the lowermest nails, which are pushed back into engagement with the further sides of the tubes. lf the tubes 20 are empty, movement of the ring is limited by the engagement of the separators themselves with the further sides of the tubes. As already pointed out during the operation of inserting a fastening with this device the fastenings in one of the tubes will be restrained by gate 2S. In this connection it may be noted that the slight amount of slackness ordinarily present in devices of this character is sufficient to prevent undue bindingor injury of the device when it is operated, as it normally is, under conditions which prevent rockingv movement of that separator which controls the passage of fastenings from the closed tube.

1When the device is used to attach rubber heels having the usual conical cavities surrounding their nail holes, as shown in Fig. 3, the nozzle of thedevice is inserted in the conical cavity and the dev-ice pressed against the work. Since the surface of the work prevents downward movement of ring 40 as the device is pressed downwardly, one of links 38 rocks whichever separatorr is free to move (the right-hand separator as shown in Fig. 3) causing the lowerinost nail in the separator to to be releasedl and dropped to the position shown in Fig. 3. The next nail, of course, is

Y retained by engagement with the upper portion of the separator. Downward movement of the plunger 14 and driver l5 will cause the nail to be driven into the work.

In order to cause the withdrawal of the driver after the insertion of each fastening, the driver is surrounded by a spring bearing at its upper end against plunger 14 and at its lower end against an abutment 52 carried by shell 26. To prevent excessive displacement ef plunger 14 by spring 50, a plug 54is threaded into thel upper end of thebody portion l0, this plug being formed with an opening to receive a reduced upwardly eX- tending part ofthe plunger and to preventthe passage of the larger lower portion of the plunger. lf desired, plug 54 may be adjusted to limit the extent of the downward movement of the driver or a washer or Washers 55 of shock-deadening material such as leather may surround the plunger above the plug 54.

Such a washer or washers, which may be split to facilitate their emplacement on and removal from the device, will cushion the impact of the head 56 of the plunger against plug 54. hloreover, by the selection of washers of a suitable thickness the extent of the downward movement of the driver may be varied without changing the position of plug 54. Thus in attaching rubber heels, the device may be adjusted properly to seat the nail heads against the washers in the heels.

In the operation of the device it is held lirmly in the hand of the operator with its nozzle 24 pressed against the work while the head 56 of plunger 14 is struck with a suitable maul or hammer.

If it is desired to use the device upon work such as is shown in Fig. 5 which is not provided with cavities, then the device may be modified, as-shown in Figs. 4 and 5, by changing the relative dimensions of the parts so that ring 40, when the device is not in contact with the work, projects somewhat beyond the end of the nozzle, so that upward movement of ring 40 into alinement with the end o t the nozzle, as shown in Fig. 5, will operate the separators in the manner already described. In attaching rubber heels it sometimes desired to insert a nail at the center of the heel breast which is shorter than the other nails. The herein disclosed device lends itself well to this method of heel-attaching since, if desired, the nails in one of the tubes 20 may be shorter than those in the other, as shown in Fig. 5, and when it is desired to insert one of the shorter nails, the operator simply slides gate 28 over so that opening'l() is in registration with the tube containing the shorter nails. On the other hand, if the nails to be inserted are of a single length then both tubes 20 may be iilled up and it will only be necessary to supply more nails to the device when both tubes have been emptied.

The mechanism of Figs. 6 and T may conveniently be used to supply fastenings lo the fastening-.inserting device. A nail-receivin hopper 60 is provided with suitable mechanism of any usual type to feed nails to a raceway or raceways 62. As illustrated, there is a pair of these raceways, the lower end of each being arranged in alinement with a tube 64, each tube 64 being arranged to supply nails to one ofthe tubes 2() ofthe inserting device. The passage of nails from raceways 62 to tubes 64 ofthe supply'device and from tubes 64 to tubes 20 of the fasteninginserting device is controlled by the presence of the fastening-inserting device with its tubes 2O in alinement with tubes 64 of the supply device. ln order that the t'astcning-inserting device may be properly held in position, a spring clip 66 is arranged readily to receive and to release the fastening-inserting device. Three gage members 68 arey provided with their surfaces so located that when `the fastening-inserting device is inserted in clip 66 and is pushed rearwardly against these gage surfaces it will be properly positioned relatively to the fastening supply means. For this purpose it is only necessary that each of the gage members engage the fastening-:inserting device over a small area.

lVhen the fasteninginserting device is inserted in clip 66 for the reception of fastenings, its upper end engages a pair of lugs 70 carried by a slide 72 mounted in a bracket 74 of the supply device. A spring 76 housed in bracket 74 tends normally to push slide 72 outwardly so that portions of the slide are positioned beneath the outlet of tubes 64E and prevent the passage of tacks from these tubes. Qn the other hand, when slide 72 is pressed inwardly against spring 7 6 by the insertion of the fastening-inserting device, slide 72 passes out from under the outlets of tubes 6ft and fastenings in those tubes are free to drop into the tubes of the insertingr device.

A pair of pivotally mounted stops SO are arranged for movement into the path of feed of the endmost fastening in each raceway G2. Stops 8O are fast upon a rock shaft 82 normally held by a spring 84 in the position shown in Fig. 6, in which the stops are just out of engagement with the fastenings in raeeway 62. An arm 8G also rigid with roet: shaft 82 engages the upper end of a rod 8S mounted for sliding movement with its lower end resting upon. a cam surface 90 carried by slide 72. Thus when slide 72 is moved rearwardly, rod 88 moves downwardly, stops S0 rocking under the influence of spring 84; into position to prevent the passage of fastenings from raceways 62 into tubes 64. At the same time, the fastenings .in tubes 64 drop into tubes 20. lVhen the fastening-inserting device is removed, slide 72y is moved out by spring 76 into position to prevent the passage of fastenings from tubes 64; at the saine time moving rod 88 upwardly and rocking stops 8O out of engagement with the nails in racevvays 62 so that. the nails in the raceways may move downwardly .filling tubes 64.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United. States is:

l. A fastening-inserting device formed to be held. in the hand of the operator and thus to be moved from one part of a work piece to another, said device having a guideway arranged to conduct fastenings to fasteninginsorting position, a separator controlling the passage of fastenings from the guideway by engagement with the heads thereof, a workengaging member, and connections from the worleengaging member to the separator operative upon pressure of the device against the work to cause the separator to release a fastening.

2. A asteninginserting device having a. nozzle, a guideway arranged to conduct fasH tenings to the nozzle, a separator arranged to engage the heads of the fastenings for controlling the passage of the fastenings from the guideway to the nozzle, a work-engaging member adjacent to the nozzle, and connections from the work-engaging member to the separator operative upon pressure of the work-engaging member against the work to cause the separator to release a fastening.

3. A hand-operated fastening-inserting device having` a nozzle, a guideway arranged to conduct fastening-s to the nozzle, a separator controlling the passage of fastenings from the guideway to the nozzle by engagement with the heads of the fastenings, and connections arranged to cause the separator to release a fastening upon pressure of the device against the work.

4. A fastening-inserting device having aV nozzle, a guideway arranged to conduct fastenings to the nozzle, a separator arranged to engage the heads of the fastenings for controlling the passage of the fastenings from the guideway to the nozzle, a work-engaging member surrounding the nozzle, and a link connecting said workeengaging member and the separator and operative to roch the separator thereby releasing a fastening in the guideway when the work-engaging member is moved longitudinally of the nozzle.

5. A fastening-inserting device having a nozzle, a guideway arranged to conduct fastenings to the nozzle, a separator arranged to engage the heads of the fastenings for controlling the passage of the fastenings trom the guideway to the nozzle, a work-engaging member adjacent to the nozzle, connections between said work-engaging member and the separator operative to rock the separator thereby releasing a fastening in the guideway when the work-engaging member .is moved longitudinally of the nozzle, and a driver reciprocable to insert the released fastening in the work.

G. A hand-operated fastening-inserting dcv ico having a nozzle, a plurality of fasteningcontaining guideways, a gate having a single opening therein, and means for mounting the gate for movement so as to permit the opening therein to be aligned with any one of said guideways and said nozzle.

7. A fastelling-inserting device having a nozzle, a plurality of guideways arranged to supply fastenings thereto, and a gate provided with a single opening between the guideways and the nozzle movable transe versely across the nozzle to permit the passage of fastenings from any one of the guideways to the nozzle.

8. A fasteninginserting device having a nozzle, a plurality of guideways arranged to conduct fastenings thereto, and a slide between the guideways and the nozzle and movable transversely across tbe nozzle, said slide being provided with a single opening movable -into alinement with any one of the guide- Ways to permit the passage of fastenings from one of the gnideways to the nozzle and to restrain the fastenings in the other guideway or guideways.

9. A fastening-inserting device having a nozzle, a plurality of guideways arranged to conduct fastenings thereto, a gate having a single opening therein operative to permit the passage of fastenings from any one of the guideways to the nozzle, a separator controlling the passage of fastenings from each guideway and movable transversely across the nozzle, a plunger, and a driver carried by the plunger and reciprocable through the nozzle.

l0. A, fastening-inserting machine having a nozzle, a guideway arranged to conduct fastenings to the nozzle, a pivoted separator having oppositely extending arms arranged to engage alternately with a fastening above or below its pivot, a work-engaging member adjacent to the nozzle, yand direct connections extending from the work-engaging member to the separator arranged to cause rocking of the separator when the work-engaging member is moved by pressure of the work so as to cause one arm of the separator to release a fastening and the other arm to engage a different fastening in the guideway.

ll. A fastening-inserting device having Va nozzle, a gnideway arranged to conduct fastenings to the nozzle, a separator pivoted adjacent to the guideway and Vprovided with a pair of oppositely extending arms arranged to be moved alternately into the guideway to engage fastenings therein, a work-engaging member adjacent to the nozzle, a spring tending to move the work-engaging member in the direction of the line of drive of the fastenings, and a single connecting element extending from the work-engaging member to the separator arranged to cause the separator to release the endmost fastening. in the guideway when the work-engaging member is moved against the action of its spring and to engage and restrain the next fastening in the guideway.

12. Afastening-inserting device-having a nozzle, a driver reciprocable therethrough, a pair of guideways on opposite sides of the driver communicating with' and arranged to supply fastenings to the nozzle, a separator controlling the passage of fastenings from each guideway, a gate operable to permit the passage of fastenings from either guideway and to restrain the passage of fastenings from the other guideway, a work-engaging member adjacent to the nozzle and movable relatively thereto, and connections from the work-engaging member to the separators arranged to move the separators relatively to the fastenings in the guideways when the work-engaging member is moved relatively to the nozzle and to cause the release of a. fastening' from the guideway which is in communication with the nozzle.

13. A fastening inserting device having a nozzle, a driving element arranged in longitudin al alinement with said nozzle, a plurality of guideways arranged to conduct fastenings to said nozzle, said guideways being symmetrically disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of said driving element, and a gate extending below said driving element, transversely of the longitudinal axis thereof, selectively to control the passage of the fastenings from said guideways to said nozzle.

ld. A fastening inserting device having a cylindrical driving element, a plurality of guideways symmetrically disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of said driving element, and a gate extending below said driving element, transversely to the longitudinal axis thereof, selectively to control the passage of the fastenings from said guideways.

15. A fastening inserting` device having a nozzle provided with a work-engaging extremity, a gnideway arranged to conduct fastenings to the nozzle, a separator controlling the passage of fastenings from the guideway to the nozzle, a work-engaging member located inthe rear of the work-engaging exn tremity of said nozzle, and connections extending between said work-engaging member and the separator operative to canse the separator to release a fastening from the guideway when the work-engaging member is movedin a direction opposite to the direction of insertion of the fastenings.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification.

ELMER R. POPE. 

